Grounded: Steven Curtis Chapman’s Firm Foundation

Fishlake National Park in Utah is home
to the largest tree root system in
the world. Estimated to be over 80,000
years old, the roots extend over 106 acres,
supporting one of the largest Aspen tree
groves in the world. Essentially, these roots
have kept a living organism alive for all of
human history.

Roots sustain, nurture and support.

Deep roots can change the course of
one’s life forever.

Steven Curtis Chapman has deep roots.
While it seems a bit pedantic to state that
he’s an industry icon, you can’t really get
around it. With over 25 years of making
music and ministering all over the world,
Steven has proven not only that he has
the musical prowess and chops to create
significant, life-changing songs; he has also
proven over and over through his actions,
his words, his life, that he is deeply rooted
in the omniscient, omnipresent God…the
alpha and omega…beginning and the end.

It’s only fitting, then that his latest
full-length project, Deep Roots, not only
reflects and celebrates the roots of his
faith and his walk; it also includes those
who have held his hand and joined him on
the journey…namely his father, brother,
son and daughter-in-law.

“It’s sort of a family album,” Steven
says. “And that’s not necessarily cool or
appropriate or relevant…but it was a
gift to make it. I got to do some things I
wouldn’t normally do.”

Those ‘things’ beyond the norm namely
have to do with style. Kentucky born and
bred, Steven grew up around bluegrass,
country and good ol’ fashioned hymns,
“My dad was a musician and guitar teacher. He played bluegrass music,
folk music,” Steven shares. “My dad and
brother were and are two of my greatest
musical influences.”

In fact, Steven’s first job in music
came about when he accompanied his
brother at an audition at Opryland USA,
an amusement park in Nashville, Tenn.,
known for its shows, rides and fun.

“I auditioned as an instrumentalist,”
Steven recalls with a laugh. “I accompanied
him and they asked if I sang. I told
them I sang a little, but I wasn’t prepared
for it. They liked the brother thing and
gave us both jobs.”

And the rest, as they say (pardon this
incredibly over-used pun) is history. From
Opryland, Steven continued to progress
as a player, songwriter and artist. As his
solo career took flight, the bluegrass and
folk got pushed aside for a season and
Steven’s signature pop sound emerged
and the banjo took a backseat.

Fast forward to present day and
a conversation with the keepers of
America’s favorite front porch, Cracker
Barrel, and at long last, the banjo made its
way back into the studio and, in a sense,
Steven came back home.

“It was so nice to work with Cracker
Barrel,” Steven says. “I put banjo on
everything!”

And from classics like “He Touched Me”
and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” to
more obscure hymns like “Life’s Railway to
Heaven,” which Steven describes as, “one
of those hoedowns,” the record is basically
a one-way ticket back to a simpler
time and the innocence of childhood
revisited — a journey not taken lightly.

This year will mark five years since
Steven and Mary Beth’s daughter, Maria,
went to heaven. Since that tragic day, the
entire Chapman family embarked on a
journey they never wanted…and no parent
should have…to take.

And that is where Steven’s roots truly
begin to show. When the unthinkable
swept his world into a whirlwind, he and his
family prayerfully, painfully, but diligently
kept going back to the one thing they knew
would survive any maelstrom of grief in
this world — their rock; their roots; their
foundation.

“If I could only sing one song for the rest
of my life, it would be ‘My Redeemer is
Faithful and True,’” he shares. “This is the
one thing I know to be true. God has been
faithful, God has been true.”

Perhaps this is most poignantly conveyed
on the final song on the record — an
acoustic version of “Cinderella.”

“‘Cinderella’ was a personal request from
Cracker Barrel,” he shares. “I didn’t know
if it fit, but I had always wanted to do an
acoustic version. I haven’t recorded it since
Maria went to heaven, but I sing the last
line differently now. I knew if there were
ever an appropriate time to record it this
way, this would be the time to do it.”

Five years since the accident; ten years
since the founding of ShowHope; 26
years of ministry…no doubt, Steven and
his family have arrived at a precipice. As
God continues to ground them all in the
richness of His sustenance, it’s more clear
than ever that when it comes to ‘deep
roots,’ his music is but a small piece.

“This year is a time to go deeper,” he affirms.
“This feels like a new season.”

With the newness shining down, the peace
flowing like a backwoods creek and God’s
faithfulness the air he breathes day in and day
out, Steven steps back and despite all the trials
and heartache, he lifts his voice to the one who
gives life.

“What a cool thing, the gift of music,” he adds.
“It doesn’t ever get old. I think that’s part of who
He is. We get to be part of it. We get to be part
of a new creation.”

And just as roots anchor the trees above
us, on his knees, Steven has planted and is
sustained each day by the only set of roots that
will ever matter — those that grow through faith,
perseverance and unconditional surrender to the
only firm foundation.